I'd love a photo of him looking directly into the camera, but it does appear to be a reworked DP Deluxe, judging from its proportions.

I'd say DPLX based on my meager experience tarting one up. It looks to me like it's been cleaned up in several crucial areas:



1. Nose slots cleaned up.
2. Nail marks deepened (This involves filling in the cheek tops a bit).
3. Nose "nicks"--these were a blooby blur on my DP so I re-cut them, these seem over-done.
4. Tusk end seems mis-shapen.
5. Not much mouth droop but still some "bowing" (mine had this too).

Also the mouth slots and overall cheek shapes seem consistent with the DPLX as well. Now it's possible that it's a 20th C derived, but a bit down the line, based on the wobbly cheek and mouth shapes. The nose slots and nicks have been modified in either case. I'm not crazy about the way the attachment point has been modified--but if it works!

My $.02

Dave

I think the bowing of the chin and lower mouth wall is indicative of a DP DLX. Good catch, Dave!

Also, the teeth appear to be modified.

This lid reminds me of an ebay auction I've seen some days ago...the maker stated, that this is a DLX recast.

Just didn't find the link to the auction anymore...sry.

It's plausible that it's a 20th Cent. but the teeth holes on the 20th cent photo seem a bit on the big side compared to the gray primed one. Yeah, good catch: I never really studied the 20th century, but there's that upward curving chin-lip too.

Typed all this up, then found the auction!

Propsmith--here's the auction listing:

http://cgi.ebay.com/DARTH-VADER-FIBERGL ... dZViewItem

Interesting, I'll not argue that the nose notches are part of the casting but--compared to the screen helmets they aren't that obvious IMO. It's also interesting to note the chin vent bowing on the 20th C you picture. I looked at some pics of my 20th Cent Helmet (which I sold this past Sept) and mine didn't seem to have that so that obviously varied from casting to casting. I'll try to post a pic when I get home tonight.

Re: the nose slots--look to me exactly what you suggest: that someone just took a square edged file and re-cut them, without filling in to try and maintain their original width. But they are wider even than a 20th C slots--so why bother if that was the helmet of origin? That was always a feature of the DPLX that bugged the crap out of me and why it was one of the first things I aimed to fix on mine. The nose is definitely wider too, but I don't think the inner dimension has changed--only that extra material has been added to the outside to thicken it and help emphasize the "nicks" (another weak area of the DPLX). While the overall shape is similar the walls on the nose of the 20th C are thinner.

The real giveaway would be to get a look at the top of the helmet and see if it has the 3M tabs or the remnants of Mac's "ashtray"--then it would, arguably, be case closed.

Why is it "my" ashtray? Why can't it be Carsten's ashtray?

Ok, Ok, the ashtray...If we ever get a chance to hook up we'll have to light up a stogy and make it official--lol! (I'm not really a smoker but I've been know to indulge in the odd cigar on special occasions)

The Celtic Touch helmet shown above as an example of a 20th C is misleading. The CT may in fact be derived from a 20th C, but it has it's own characteristics, such as the swoop at the lower mouth wall, softer features and other differences. JFYI.

I don't smoke, btw, though I do have an ashtray.

So this is a DP DLX recast? How much did u pay for that?